A grounded theory-based analysis of Korean elementary school students' English learning anxiety

근거이론을 활용한 초등학생의 영어 학습불안 요인 분석

Foreign language anxiety has been known as one of the affective variables that influence the success or failure of language learning. Despite the voluminous research on language anxiety, few studies have examined anxiety from the students' perspectives. The present study investigates Korean elementary school students' English learning anxiety using grounded theory analysis (GTA). GTA is a qualitative research method involving the discovery of theory through the analysis of data. A total of 33 students in the 5th and 6th grade with varying levels of anxiety were interviewed and potential causes of their anxiety were identified. The results of the study showed that language aptitude, types of classroom activities, ways of grouping, types of private education, English teacher, homeroom teacher and parents were basic sources of the students' anxiety. Tests, English learning strategies, the student's own level of English, and comparison with peers were identified as more direct sources of anxiety. These 11 factors were perceived to influence foreign language anxiety, interest and motivation, and achievement, which in turn influenced one another.